


Stress Relief

by delighted



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Episode Related, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, season eight related, slightly silly sweet fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 23:25:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12922458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delighted/pseuds/delighted
Summary: Steve’s trying to be good about the whole not-stressing-out thing, he really is. But Danny’s not exactly making it easy on him, showing up late at night and saying things about what all makes for good stress relief and basically volunteering for service..... Then again. Maybe that actuallyishelpful......





	Stress Relief

**Author's Note:**

> I think I’ve figured out that while I’m editing longer stories I have to write shorter bits of fluff to stay sane.... So, here’s another one, just a little episode-related fun, because that episode with the stress prevention intervention was simply _asking for it_. I didn’t even finish watching, I just said: that’s it. STORY. 
> 
> Which also means very possibly this story doesn’t actually work, as I am sure something Very Stressful happens in the episode, so just try to ignore that and _please no spoilers_.
> 
> The _AU/They-Met-Before/Holiday-Story_ that I’m working on is round about 15k now, 7 chapters, and I hope hope hope it will be ready to start posting sometime next week... otherwise it might just do me in.....

Danny shows up at Steve’s that night, a bit later than he’d normally come over, Steve thinks he must have gone home and tried to have a night in. It’s not very hard to imagine he was worrying too much to sit still. The thought makes Steve smile, fondly, but also a tiny bit frustratedly. Danny’s not the only one who worries, alright? And frankly, Danny stresses out more easily than Steve does, when it comes to it, and Steve thinks... he thinks Danny just might actually know this.

Steve’s taken the advice—or, rather, Danny’s wishes—to heart, he’ll have you know. He’s had a nice shower, a glass of red wine, thank you, not beer, because they say it’s better, though he’s not entirely sure about that. But he’s having his red wine, he’s even lit a lavender candle because those are supposed to be helpful as well. And he’s listening to mellow, soft, groovy music. He’s got his feet up, and Eddie’s curled up underneath the stretch of his legs across to the coffee table, and while we’re at it, can we please point out the stress-reducing qualities of pets, please? Thank you.

Danny kicks his flip flops off by the door, ambles over to the kitchen where the wine’s sitting out on the counter, pours himself a glass (yeah, alright, Steve put two glasses out, maybe that was wishful thinking, or maybe he knows Danny a little too damn well), and walks slowly over to Steve. He’s grinning, looking way too pleased, and he sways a bit to the music.

“This is nice, babe. I approve.”

“Oh yeah, buddy?” Steve’s amused. If Danny wanted music and wine and candles, hell, he only had to ask. No intervention required.

He shrugs. “Makes a change from beer and TV. Where’s Junior?”

“Out,” Steve says, noncommittally. He might have sent him to camp out at Tani’s place for the night. But he’s not going to admit that just yet.

“Mmmm.” Danny replies as he sits, right up close to Steve. He slides his bare feet out, giving Eddie a scratch with his toes as he does, sighing as though he’s let a heavy weight down, and Steve thinks maybe he has.

He certainly seems more relaxed than he has lately. A lot more relaxed. And something in that sends just part of Steve’s brain into some kind of higher level of alertness, which considering he’s already half way into glass number two, is kind of impressive. Red wine really gets to Steve, makes him soft and a little dopey, which he realizes belatedly, is why he doesn’t usually drink it. Still, Danny’s here, and he smells nice, and he’s warm and comforting against Steve’s side, and he slips an arm around him like he usually does, but somehow it feels different, and he can’t quite work that one out, but then Danny leans against him, like he usually does, but that feels different too. _More_ , somehow. Must be the wine.

“So, anything else I should be doing differently, buddy?” Steve asks softly, and for some reason he has this idea that kissing the top of Danny’s head would be the thing to do, so he does. Danny makes a low sound like he enjoyed that, so Steve does it again. Danny moves his wine glass to his far hand, and rests the first on Steve’s leg. And _that_ , Steve _knows_ really _is_ new.

“Mmm, well, I think they say cuddling is good for you as well.” His voice is soft and murmurry, sort of thick and hazy, and Steve decides it’s a tone he adores on Danny.

“Well, that’s easy. We’re good at that.” Steve’s amused, he hears it when he speaks, but he’s also growing warm in a way that has nothing to do with the wine and everything to do with the way Danny’s body is pressing against his.

Danny purrs. “We are, aren’t we.”

“What else do they say, Danny?” Steve knows he’s had way more wine than Danny, but he’s feeling very much the clearer headed of the two, and his point’s proved when Danny practically giggles and slides further down in his seat.

“Oh, they say lots of things, babe.”

Steve has to bite his lips, so he can’t reply right away, but when he’s sure he won’t laugh, he lets his lips go, licking them, before he can reply. “Such as?” And he swears he didn’t mean it to be quite as seductive as it sounds.

Danny either doesn’t mind or has gone so far down that path himself he doesn’t even notice. “ _Seeex_.” And it’s a hard word to draw out, really, but he manages somehow, and that hand, the one on Steve’s leg, creeps further inward and Steve’s breath catches in his throat.

“ _Yeah_ ,” he finds his voice does work, which surprises him greatly. “That generally works really well for me.”

“Does it?” And Danny’s suddenly alert and very interested.

So’s Steve.

“Yep,” he replies, and his heart is not behaving in a relaxed way at all at this point. But surely, this kind of stress isn’t bad. It sure doesn’t _feel_ bad. _Jesus_.

“Well,” Danny says. Matter of fact. “We gotta be sure we’re doing all we can.”

Steve’s eyebrows go up, impossibly high, it feels. “Do we now?” He wants to laugh, he does, but he’s absolutely certain that would be a mistake. And he does _not_ want to make a mistake just now.

“Absolutely, babe. Everything and anything. Gotta do it all. Make sure we’ve covered all the bases.”

And god help him, but Steve very nearly looses it laughing right then, and yes, part of him is still an adolescent, but so’s Danny, so whatever.

“Cover all the bases, eh, buddy?” And really, he swears he really really did not mean it to come out like that, but fuck. Like chocolate. Or velvet. Is chocolate covered velvet a thing? Shit.

“Generally starts with first....” Danny’s sitting up now, and his wine glass is on the coffee table, and somehow, Steve’s isn’t in his hand anymore either, and he wonders how that happened?

“I think I remember how it works,” Steve’s saying, and really, McGarrett? Smooth Dog my foot. Good thing he’s pretty sure at this point that Danny’s a sure thing, because, seriously.

And none of it matters, and all of it matters, and all that matters is that Danny’s picked that moment to finally figure out that Steve’s lips are really nice (he uses really good chapstick). Danny’s aren’t half bad, now that you mention it. Steve’s always imagined, what with how much Danny likes to talk, and how much negative crap comes out of his mouth, that his lips would be somehow bitter, but they’re not, and maybe it’s the wine, but they taste like summer and fruit and warmth, and Steve pulls him closer. Which probably was a mistake because Danny can feel Steve’s heart now, and he’ll know that his heart rate is though the roof.

Sure enough, Danny’s hand goes to Steve’s chest. “Babe, your heart.”

Steve closes his eyes, shakes his head. “What the hell d’you expect, Williams. Shit.” And pulls him back in for more of the kissing, because now he’s got a taste of it, he does not plan on letting go. But unfortunately for Steve, Danny’s smiling too hugely to keep up with the kissing. Heaving out a sigh, Steve pulls back. “What?”

“You just never called me that before.”

“Called you what?”

“ _Williams_.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Um, yeah. Definitely not ever.”

“Huh.”

“Daniel, yes. Detective, even. But not just _Williams_.”

Steve’s grinning. “Like that, do you?” He’s guessing so, ‘cause Danny’s got this look in his eyes, and Steve’s pretty sure he’s right.

That delicious tongue darts out, licks his bottom lip, darts back in, and Danny’s caught his lip in his teeth, and he’s looking, heatedly, intently, boldly, at Steve’s lips. His hand comes back to Steve’s heart. “What do I gotta do to get this lowered, babe?”

“ _Stay_.”

Danny’s eyes flutter closed, and it’s like Steve’s said something magical. Which evidently he has, because Danny’s standing, holding out his hand to Steve. And Eddie, smart dog that he is, gets out of the way, and Steve stands, takes Danny’s hand, and Danny stoops to blow out the candle, but he leaves the music going, and he leads Steve to the stairs, and slowly up them.

He’s smiling so softly, so sweetly, Steve’s heart is just in his throat, he’s just completely overwhelmed. This dawning awareness comes to him that really, all along, Danny’s been looking for a way in, a way to find that angle, that path... that way to the _control_ he’s always claimed to long for, when it comes to Steve. Which has always amused Steve, to be honest. Because Steve’s always struggled so hard for it because Danny takes it so easily from him. And _that_ , he decides, is exactly what Danny needs to do now. Really, that’s what this whole thing is all about: Danny finding some way of exerting control over Steve.

He lets that realization wash over him, and it fits perfectly, as Danny steps forward—slowly, gently, carefully pushing Steve closer to the edge of the bed, reaching down and pulling Steve’s tee up over his head, tugging softly on his shorts till they’re down at his ankles, moving so so slowly back up Steve’s body, doing nothing more than breathing.

It’s almost enough.

Danny takes Steve’s hands, puts them on his own chest. “My heart’s racing too, just so we’re clear on that.”

Steve’s lips quirk into a wry smile and he nods, letting his hands trail down to the hem of Danny’s shirt, lifting it up—grateful, so grateful to be able to finally allow the sharp intake of breath he always conceals at the way Danny’s chest hairs glint, like they’re actually made of gold, when they surf. Steve’s not altogether sure they’re not. He wants to rub his face in them, but Danny’s easing him back on the bed, shoving his own shorts off as he lowers himself down over Steve.

“Slow and easy, babe,” he whispers. “Slow and easy.”

“Danny,” Steve chokes out. “I’m pretty sure _neither_ of those is realistic.”

“Sure it is, you just have to breathe, focus, and let go.”

“Okay, number one, I can’t breathe, haven’t done _that_ since you kissed me. Number two, I _am_ focused. And number three, dear god, if I let _go_ , it’ll be over in ten seconds.”

Danny just smiles, that sweet soft warm smile, and gradually rests all of his weight on Steve, and ohhh, he has a point. Steve’s entire focus narrows to the points of intersection between their bodies. As though the only bits that now exist are precisely those where he’s most closely connected to Danny. And it makes so much sense, it makes perfect blissful sense. And his heart does actually start to slow. Or maybe that’s _everything_ that starts to slow. Each brush of Danny’s chest against his, each flicker of Danny’s eyelashes, each nip of Danny’s teeth along his neck... slow, slowing, narrowing, focusing... in, inward, closer, deeper....

And Steve’s done meditation before, all the breathing techniques in the world having been part of his training, but this, _this_ is different. Maybe it’s because he’s smelling Danny, really smelling _him_ , and it’s familiar and it’s new and it seeps somehow into his blood like it’s imprinting on him, and he wants it, wants to pull it further in, deeper inside him, and that’s not the only thing he wants inside him, but Danny’s holding back, just enough—just too much. But he lets Danny control it all, and he thinks maybe this is what Danny needed, what he was truly after. But he also knows it’s what _he_ needed. Has needed. Has wanted. For far too long....

And then he does just let go, and it’s not the end, for quite some time it’s not the end, and it amazes him, and how well Danny knows his body amazes him, though probably, definitely, it shouldn’t. Danny’s claiming him, he realizes. Staking out his territory, taking charge, taking control, taking over. Saying, enough, you don’t do it right, it’s _mine_ now. And Steve lets him. Wants him, wants that, wants this. And when Danny’s done, he cleans them off, and tucks Steve under the blankets, and pulls one up over himself, and closes in on Steve’s side, nestling against him _as though it’s what he does every night_....

It’s _that_ thought that sends Steve cascading a tiny bit toward terror. Because this cannot, absolutely can _not_ be a one time thing. This has to be the new normal. He really truly thinks he won’t survive otherwise.

“Stop worrying, babe,” Danny scolds, as though he’s been listening all along. “If I have to do that twice a day, then I will do that twice a day. Whatever the fuck it takes, babe. I’m all in.”

And Steve lets out the tiniest breath, in a soft chuckle, and he kisses the back of Danny’s head. “I think you don’t know what you’re getting yourself in for, buddy.”

The softest sigh escapes Danny’s lips, against Steve’s hand, which he’s holding so tightly, fingers threaded together, like he doesn’t dare let go. “Yeah. I do. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here, but yeah. _I really do_.”

Steve thinks it’s far more likely that neither of them has the least idea. But, he thinks, as long as Danny’s with him, well. Maybe that just doesn’t matter.

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, I didn't finish watching the episode, so, please, please, no spoilers.........  
> <3


End file.
